School DescriptionPaul Cuffee School Charter School, Rhode Island
images.jpeg
Introduction:
The Paul Cuffee School is a Charter School located in the Providence School District. The research below discusses many aspects that are unique to the Paul Cuffee School. Paul Cuffee is a relatively new school, with a emphasis on family involvement, extra curricular activities, and student services. Overall the school is successful in providing extra assistance for it's students and families. However, as a charter school it fails to provide these opportunities to all students in the Providence school district. This report aims to inform parents of the Providence School District about the quality of education their child would receive if they are selected to attend the Paul Cuffee School. It also aims to compare this charter school's performance to public schools in the state. This context report aims to demonstrate the successes and weaknesses of the Paul Cuffee School.
Mission and History
The Paul Cuffee School, located in Providence Rhode Island opened its doors in September 2001. The mission statement is as follows: to create a school that would meet the individual needs of Providence's diverse students through a maritime themed curriculum that promotes social and civic skill-building as well as outstanding academic learning. This statement reveals that the goal of the Paul Cuffee School is to provide a diverse group of students with the skills they need to success in their community both socially and intellectually. The "social and civic skill building" referenced in the mission statement, suggests that the Paul Cuffee School hopes to produce students who can relate to others, while having a positive influence in their community. The mission statement also states that it wishes to promote "outstanding academic learning," which suggests that this Charter School wishes to focus on providing a high quality education for it's students. The Paul Cuffee School initially began with four grades (K-3). Fourth and fifth grade students started in 2002 and 2003 as the younger students advanced and new students at the joined the younger grade levels. By the 205-For the 2005-2006 scholastic year, there were students enrolled in grades K-7. In November of 2005, a middle school was opened just two block aways, enabling students 6-8 to attend. The Paul Cuffee School is relatively new, which indicates that it has modern classrooms and equipment. It's inclusion of a range of grade levels provides students with a consistent type of schooling (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
A Diverse Student Population: Rhode Island’s capital city, Providence, contains 47 public schools which serve over 30,000 students. Of the three hundred thousand students, about 600 are educated through the Paul Cuffee School. The Paul Cuffee elementary school has a higher percentage of females than males. Of these students, 56% identify as Hispanic or Latino, 32% identify as White and 38% identify as Black or African American. (Great Schools, "Paul Cuffee School- greatschools.org") This suggests that the Paul Cuffee School is relatively diverse. Many different racial backgrounds are represented in the student body.
Organization and Acceptance
The Paul Cuffee School system is very well organized. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees. The 24 members of this board are appointed by the Sailing Institute. The Sailing Institute is the name of the private ownership of the Paul Cuffee School. The Board of Trustees is made up of teachers, parents, and different community members and agencies. Meetings are held once a month. In the past year there as been a Strategic Planning Committee added and an Education committee. Students in the Paul Cuffee school are admitted through a lottery system. The class sizes are relatively small. Teachers will have no more than 17 students in their classroom. A smaller class size is an asset for any school. Charter schools such as Paul Cuffee, are able to have small classes because they are not teaching an entire district. This gives children a more personal education. Teacher's assistants are available, and focus on individualized instruction. The admission through the lottery system prohibits all students in the district from receiving this type of education. Furthermore, the Paul Cuffee School is permitted to skim it's students. This means that if a student does not meet the schools standards, the Paul Cuffee School can return that student to public school (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
Active Family Involvement
The Paul Cuffee School aims to keep families very involved in their child's education. This is a benefit, considering that a families active contribution to school can contribute to a child's success.Family support and involvement will help children feel connected to the school. The Paul Cuffee School has two part-time Family Coordinators to aid in family engagement. One of the two Family Coordinators is bilingual, which is helpful given the large hispanic population that attends this school. This individual works with the family outreach and has organized events such a clothing drives, translation equipment, and school dinners. This aids in a sense of community for the Paul Cuffee School. In addition, there is a classroom space for the Family Center, that has hours in which parents can drop in. This allows parents to be aware of what is happening in the school, and allows them to support students at home. In this space the social worker and the Wellness Director discusses important topics. Parents of students with special needs can be involved in the Parent Coordinators group which meets three times a year. The Paul Cuffee School has an active PTA/PTO group that organized various activities. The Paul Cuffee School makes it very accessible for parents to be involved in their child's education. (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
Opportunities for Academic Support
The Paul Cuffee School offers a variety of ways to support students with academic needs. Paul Cuffee's special education services, utilize inclusion to allow special educators to support students without special needs and provide additional assistance to those with special needs during a resource period. Special Education services are made possible by a special educator, speech therapist, along with an occupational therapist. To qualify for these services, students must be diagnosed with a specific disability by the school's multidisciplinary Special Education Team. The Paul Cuffee School is unique in providing Special Education opportunities. Since special education students are less likely to score high on state tests, they are less likely to contribute to a charter schools high test performance. For this reason, many charter schools do not cater to students with special needs. Paul Cuffee's special education program is a rarity in most charter schools. The Paul Cuffee School also supports students academic growth with after-school tutoring sessions. These sessions are available four times a week and include computer lab time is necessary. Saturday School, and English Language Learn supports are also available. All students who attend the Paul Cuffee School have a study period. These study periods allow students to focus on one particular subject. Summer support is not as prevalent but is available if a child needs. Paul Cuffee's academic support will permit students a suitable environment to study outside of the classroom. (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
Quality Health Services
In school, good health is necessary for attendance Proper attendance leads to more classroom time and therefore more undisrupted learning. The Paul Cuffee School is staffed with two registered nurses. They are able to do regular health screenings and also teach the health curriculum to students. The school nurse is able to house and dispense student prescriptions, given a parent note is provided. School nurses perform state mandated screenings for hearing, vision, dental health, and scholiosis. Flu clinics are also provided each fall for students, staff and parents (Paul Cuffee School, "Health Services and Education- paulcuffee.org."). Regular health screenings are extremely beneficial because it allows students to be healthy and capable of participating in school
Inadequate Extracurriculars
A downfall in the Paul Cuffee school, is that many extra curricular activities are funded by personal income. If a child wishes to participate in an after school activity, the funding must come out of their parents pocket. Furthermore, there are not always enough spaces for all children to participate. Paul Cuffee School's After School Club is available for students in years K-8. The program runs after school and offers with a range of fun yet educational activities. To be apart of this club, there is a fee based on family income. Another program available is the enrichment program for children years K-8. This program focuses on activities such as sailing, book club, chess club, basketball and soccer. However, there is more interest than spots available so a lottery system is utilized to determine who can participate. Middle School sports are fee based as well. However, middle school clubs meet during the school day on fridays for no fee. There is no fee for sports at the High School level. There are no clubs offered but there are electives that can be taken during the day. (Paul Cuffee School, "School Sport, Clubs, and Activities- paulcuffee.org) The fee for younger students to participate in extra curriculars, may discourage many children from joining. Extra curriculars are necessary for young students to develop a sense of identity, and how to work with others. The lack of after school clubs offered in High School and Middle School, may cause these students to engage in risky behavior, since they will not be kept busy after school. Also only offering electives limits the amount of areas of interest a child can explore. Paul Cuffee's extra curriculars do not provide enough support for its students
Safety Concerns
The Paul Cuffee School has higher rates of bullying compared to the rest of Rhode Island. According to an infoworks survey 53.2% of students at the elementary level experience bully, where 42% of students in the rest of rhode island . However, 70% of students in the Paul Cuffee School stated that the bullying stopped with parent or teacher intervention. Only 60% of students in Rhode Island said that bullying stopped after intervention. In the Paul Cuffee school 0% of 4-5th grade students have been offered drugs in school, while 1% have state wide. Seventy percent of parents said that they feel that the Paul Cuffee School is a safe environment for their children, while 60% percent of Rhode Island parents do not strongly agree that their schools are safe (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”). The Paul Cuffee School is relatively safe for it's students. A safe school enviroment is necessary for academic success. Student's will not be able to focus on their coursework if they are constantly experiencing fear. However, the high rates of bullying that are reported suggest that their maybe distraction in the classroom.
Teacher Quality
A survey of fourth and fifth grade students indicate, that the students have a high opinion on their teachers in comparison to student opinions in the rest of the state. Students in the Paul Cuffee School feel that they have a sufficient amount class time to do work (60%). While only 54% feel this way in the rest of Rhode Island. Sixty eight percent of students stated that they feel their teachers give clear directions, 57.7% of students feel that peers are given a fair chance in class, and 60% say that they're teachers make students want to learn. In comparison to the rest of Rhode Island these percentages are equivalent (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”). This suggests this charter school teachers are not anymore successful than the rest of Rhode Island teachers. Many government officials are concerned about the quality of public education. However, replacing public schools with charter schools, are not making children anymore eager to learn.
Conclusion
The Paul Cuffee School has weaknesses and strengths in it's structure. The Paul Cuffee School has met the the No Child Left Behind standards as of 2011. It provides many services to it's students such as academic support, family involvement, and health services. However, in regards to performance, the Paul Cuffee School is not much different than other Rhode Island Schools. This is important to consider when examining our public school system. Many government officials argue that charter schools are better because they promote more individualized instruction. Despite this aspect, the Paul Cuffee School is no more successful than any other school in Rhode Island, in fact their test scores are same or lower. Extenuating influences such a poverty or quality of community, not class sizes, are what truly cause the achievement gap. Furthermore, the Paul Cuffee School does not offer many extra curriculars and has a high rate of student bullying. Both these aspects can hinder a child's performance. Unlike many charter schools, the Paul Cuffee school does make the effort to serve students from different backgrounds and those with special needs. This school is unique in it's approach to serve a diverse student population. However, it is no more successful than any other school in the state.
Introduction:
The Paul Cuffee School is a Charter School located in the Providence School District. The research below discusses many aspects that are unique to the Paul Cuffee School. Paul Cuffee is a relatively new school, with a emphasis on family involvement, extra curricular activities, and student services. Overall the school is successful in providing extra assistance for it's students and families. However, as a charter school it fails to provide these opportunities to all students in the Providence school district. This report aims to inform parents of the Providence School District about the quality of education their child would receive if they are selected to attend the Paul Cuffee School. It also aims to compare this charter school's performance to public schools in the state. This context report aims to demonstrate the successes and weaknesses of the Paul Cuffee School.
Mission and History
The Paul Cuffee School, located in Providence Rhode Island opened its doors in September 2001. The mission statement is as follows: to create a school that would meet the individual needs of Providence's diverse students through a maritime themed curriculum that promotes social and civic skill-building as well as outstanding academic learning. This statement reveals that the goal of the Paul Cuffee School is to provide a diverse group of students with the skills they need to success in their community both socially and intellectually. The "social and civic skill building" referenced in the mission statement, suggests that the Paul Cuffee School hopes to produce students who can relate to others, while having a positive influence in their community. The mission statement also states that it wishes to promote "outstanding academic learning," which suggests that this Charter School wishes to focus on providing a high quality education for it's students. The Paul Cuffee School initially began with four grades (K-3). Fourth and fifth grade students started in 2002 and 2003 as the younger students advanced and new students at the joined the younger grade levels. By the 205-For the 2005-2006 scholastic year, there were students enrolled in grades K-7. In November of 2005, a middle school was opened just two block aways, enabling students 6-8 to attend. The Paul Cuffee School is relatively new, which indicates that it has modern classrooms and equipment. It's inclusion of a range of grade levels provides students with a consistent type of schooling (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
A Diverse Student Population:
Rhode Island’s capital city, Providence, contains 47 public schools which serve over 30,000 students. Of the three hundred thousand students, about 600 are educated through the Paul Cuffee School. The Paul Cuffee elementary school has a higher percentage of females than males. Of these students, 56% identify as Hispanic or Latino, 32% identify as White and 38% identify as Black or African American. (Great Schools, "Paul Cuffee School- greatschools.org") This suggests that the Paul Cuffee School is relatively diverse. Many different racial backgrounds are represented in the student body.
Organization and Acceptance
The Paul Cuffee School system is very well organized. The school is governed by a Board of Trustees. The 24 members of this board are appointed by the Sailing Institute. The Sailing Institute is the name of the private ownership of the Paul Cuffee School. The Board of Trustees is made up of teachers, parents, and different community members and agencies. Meetings are held once a month. In the past year there as been a Strategic Planning Committee added and an Education committee. Students in the Paul Cuffee school are admitted through a lottery system. The class sizes are relatively small. Teachers will have no more than 17 students in their classroom. A smaller class size is an asset for any school. Charter schools such as Paul Cuffee, are able to have small classes because they are not teaching an entire district. This gives children a more personal education. Teacher's assistants are available, and focus on individualized instruction. The admission through the lottery system prohibits all students in the district from receiving this type of education. Furthermore, the Paul Cuffee School is permitted to skim it's students. This means that if a student does not meet the schools standards, the Paul Cuffee School can return that student to public school (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
Active Family Involvement
The Paul Cuffee School aims to keep families very involved in their child's education. This is a benefit, considering that a families active contribution to school can contribute to a child's success.Family support and involvement will help children feel connected to the school. The Paul Cuffee School has two part-time Family Coordinators to aid in family engagement. One of the two Family Coordinators is bilingual, which is helpful given the large hispanic population that attends this school. This individual works with the family outreach and has organized events such a clothing drives, translation equipment, and school dinners. This aids in a sense of community for the Paul Cuffee School. In addition, there is a classroom space for the Family Center, that has hours in which parents can drop in. This allows parents to be aware of what is happening in the school, and allows them to support students at home. In this space the social worker and the Wellness Director discusses important topics. Parents of students with special needs can be involved in the Parent Coordinators group which meets three times a year. The Paul Cuffee School has an active PTA/PTO group that organized various activities. The Paul Cuffee School makes it very accessible for parents to be involved in their child's education. (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
Opportunities for Academic Support
The Paul Cuffee School offers a variety of ways to support students with academic needs. Paul Cuffee's special education services, utilize inclusion to allow special educators to support students without special needs and provide additional assistance to those with special needs during a resource period. Special Education services are made possible by a special educator, speech therapist, along with an occupational therapist. To qualify for these services, students must be diagnosed with a specific disability by the school's multidisciplinary Special Education Team. The Paul Cuffee School is unique in providing Special Education opportunities. Since special education students are less likely to score high on state tests, they are less likely to contribute to a charter schools high test performance. For this reason, many charter schools do not cater to students with special needs. Paul Cuffee's special education program is a rarity in most charter schools. The Paul Cuffee School also supports students academic growth with after-school tutoring sessions. These sessions are available four times a week and include computer lab time is necessary. Saturday School, and English Language Learn supports are also available. All students who attend the Paul Cuffee School have a study period. These study periods allow students to focus on one particular subject. Summer support is not as prevalent but is available if a child needs. Paul Cuffee's academic support will permit students a suitable environment to study outside of the classroom. (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”).
Quality Health Services
In school, good health is necessary for attendance Proper attendance leads to more classroom time and therefore more undisrupted learning. The Paul Cuffee School is staffed with two registered nurses. They are able to do regular health screenings and also teach the health curriculum to students. The school nurse is able to house and dispense student prescriptions, given a parent note is provided. School nurses perform state mandated screenings for hearing, vision, dental health, and scholiosis. Flu clinics are also provided each fall for students, staff and parents (Paul Cuffee School, "Health Services and Education- paulcuffee.org."). Regular health screenings are extremely beneficial because it allows students to be healthy and capable of participating in school
Inadequate Extracurriculars
A downfall in the Paul Cuffee school, is that many extra curricular activities are funded by personal income. If a child wishes to participate in an after school activity, the funding must come out of their parents pocket. Furthermore, there are not always enough spaces for all children to participate. Paul Cuffee School's After School Club is available for students in years K-8. The program runs after school and offers with a range of fun yet educational activities. To be apart of this club, there is a fee based on family income. Another program available is the enrichment program for children years K-8. This program focuses on activities such as sailing, book club, chess club, basketball and soccer. However, there is more interest than spots available so a lottery system is utilized to determine who can participate. Middle School sports are fee based as well. However, middle school clubs meet during the school day on fridays for no fee. There is no fee for sports at the High School level. There are no clubs offered but there are electives that can be taken during the day. (Paul Cuffee School, "School Sport, Clubs, and Activities- paulcuffee.org) The fee for younger students to participate in extra curriculars, may discourage many children from joining. Extra curriculars are necessary for young students to develop a sense of identity, and how to work with others. The lack of after school clubs offered in High School and Middle School, may cause these students to engage in risky behavior, since they will not be kept busy after school. Also only offering electives limits the amount of areas of interest a child can explore. Paul Cuffee's extra curriculars do not provide enough support for its students
Safety Concerns
The Paul Cuffee School has higher rates of bullying compared to the rest of Rhode Island. According to an infoworks survey 53.2% of students at the elementary level experience bully, where 42% of students in the rest of rhode island . However, 70% of students in the Paul Cuffee School stated that the bullying stopped with parent or teacher intervention. Only 60% of students in Rhode Island said that bullying stopped after intervention. In the Paul Cuffee school 0% of 4-5th grade students have been offered drugs in school, while 1% have state wide. Seventy percent of parents said that they feel that the Paul Cuffee School is a safe environment for their children, while 60% percent of Rhode Island parents do not strongly agree that their schools are safe (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”). The Paul Cuffee School is relatively safe for it's students. A safe school enviroment is necessary for academic success. Student's will not be able to focus on their coursework if they are constantly experiencing fear. However, the high rates of bullying that are reported suggest that their maybe distraction in the classroom.
Teacher Quality
A survey of fourth and fifth grade students indicate, that the students have a high opinion on their teachers in comparison to student opinions in the rest of the state. Students in the Paul Cuffee School feel that they have a sufficient amount class time to do work (60%). While only 54% feel this way in the rest of Rhode Island. Sixty eight percent of students stated that they feel their teachers give clear directions, 57.7% of students feel that peers are given a fair chance in class, and 60% say that they're teachers make students want to learn. In comparison to the rest of Rhode Island these percentages are equivalent (RIDE, “InfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov.”). This suggests this charter school teachers are not anymore successful than the rest of Rhode Island teachers. Many government officials are concerned about the quality of public education. However, replacing public schools with charter schools, are not making children anymore eager to learn.
Conclusion
The Paul Cuffee School has weaknesses and strengths in it's structure. The Paul Cuffee School has met the the No Child Left Behind standards as of 2011. It provides many services to it's students such as academic support, family involvement, and health services. However, in regards to performance, the Paul Cuffee School is not much different than other Rhode Island Schools. This is important to consider when examining our public school system. Many government officials argue that charter schools are better because they promote more individualized instruction. Despite this aspect, the Paul Cuffee School is no more successful than any other school in Rhode Island, in fact their test scores are same or lower. Extenuating influences such a poverty or quality of community, not class sizes, are what truly cause the achievement gap. Furthermore, the Paul Cuffee School does not offer many extra curriculars and has a high rate of student bullying. Both these aspects can hinder a child's performance. Unlike many charter schools, the Paul Cuffee school does make the effort to serve students from different backgrounds and those with special needs. This school is unique in it's approach to serve a diverse student population. However, it is no more successful than any other school in the state.
Works CitedInfoWorks! Rhode Island Education Data Reporting - RIDE.ri.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2013, from http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/school/paul-cuffee-charter-school
Great Schools - greatschools.org (n.d). Retrieved December 2, 2013, from http://www.greatschools.org/rhode-island/providence/457-Paul-Cuffee-Charter-School/
Paul Cuffee School- paulcuffee.org (n.d). Retrieved October 29, 2013 from http://www.paulcuffee.org/